


Pruning the Tree

by TheMusicalHermit



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fratricide, Gen, to be rewritten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-04
Updated: 2017-12-04
Packaged: 2019-02-10 14:32:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12913896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMusicalHermit/pseuds/TheMusicalHermit
Summary: All gardeners know that, from time to time, every tree must be pruned of diseased branches.





	Pruning the Tree

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to take a stab at writing for these two and a scene that I’m sure everyone has attempted to imagine at least once. Is it in character/good? No - it's not the violent exchange Blizzard says happened. I wanted to highlight the sad. I will shortly return to the garbage heap.
> 
> I may rewrite this to make it less one sided.
> 
> A/N: I do not own Overwatch, and am making no financial returns from this.

“Yeah, man, I’ll, I’ll see you tomorrow! Oh, but not before, before uh… nine? Maybe. I’ll call you. You see I got, gotta date! Third this week. Folks can’t, can’t get enough of this,” Genji said, gesturing to himself as his friend walked him home. 

“My thanks, dude, my thanks,” he said as he patted his suit jacket for the keys to the gate. “But I don’t need your help getting in. Thanks for walking me this far, but my family, my family will _freak_ if they knew I was out this late again drinking. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Waving goodbye to his friend, Genji opened the gate and turned into the dark courtyard. A figure awaited him. Through the haze of the beer it took a few long moments to figure out who it was.

Laughing, he waved hello. “Good evening, brother! What, what’re you doing out so late? Especially all dressed up like that.” He peered more closely. “Brother, haha, I thought you favoured the bow. Swords are, swords are more my thing.”

His brother was as silent as the blade being drawn.

–––

_“That no good brother of yours is a complete disgrace to the family. Someone must deal with him.”_

_“Sir, with all due respect, he is still young. He just has to be taught what is expected of him.”_

_“He has had a lifetime to get such teachings though his thick skull. He has made us a laughing stock yet again.”_

_“Honourable councilmen, please, I beg of you. Let me-“_

_“Hm… Yes. Let_ you _.”_

–––

“Brother, what, what are you doing?” Genji straightened up, head tilted to the side as he examined the practised form his brother had taken. “Look, if you want to, to train with me it’ll have to wait until, until morning. Okay? Not exactly in the, uh, the best shape right now.” He laughed again.

His brother took a deep breath and stepped forward. “Genji Shimada,” he said, his even voice ringing through the enclosure. “Prepare yourself.”

Genji laughed. “Prepare, prepare for what?” He rubbed his hand over his eyes as if that would fix his blurry vision and waved the other as if brushing away a fly. “I’ve already, already said. If you want to train with me, it’ll have to wait.”

“Prepare yourself, Genji Shimada,” his brother said again, this time louder and harsher. He took another step forward. Genji stared at the gleam of the blade in the moonlight and shook his head in confusion.

“Brother, why are you being, being so formal?”

–––

_“No, you cannot ask me to do that.”_

_“Are you telling me that I raised not one son who cannot follow simple instructions, but two?”_

_“Honoured councilmen, please. Listen to me. I can talk to him, get him to-“_

_“Sir Shimada, it appears that neither of you nor your brother are able to do what is necessary to protect the reputation of the family. What a disappointment.”_

_“Your father would have been ashamed. This disobedience will be dealt with. It is as any gardener knows - even the best tree must be pruned of diseased branches from time to time. Now, boy, do you wish to test us further?”_

–––

The swing of the blade was fast. But, even through the quickly fading cloud of spirits, Genji was faster as he ducked and rolled to the side. The blade came down, cutting through the air smoothly and almost kissing the smooth stone pavement. Genji righted himself on one knee, holding out his hands in supplication as his brother adjusted his stance.

“Look, I’ll train with you ten times harder than usual tomorrow,” Genji said. “Just let me sleep this off, okay?”

His brother grimaced. “The council has found you unworthy,” he announced quietly as he raised the blade once more.

“What does the council have to do with training,” Genji began. “I -“ The blade swung. Genji blocked it, rolling to the side to divert the momentum of the slice even as it cut into his arm. He cried out in pain, clutching at the seeping, sloping wound as he staggered to his feet. “Brother, please, what are you doing?”

His brother was staring at the blood dripping onto the floor. “Pruning a diseased branch.”

–––

 _“And then, when I’m older, I’m going to fly to the_ moon _, and free those chimps they’re doing experiments on, and -“_

_“You can’t do any of that. You’re still just a little kid.”_

_“Well you could come with me, keep an eye on me. You’re older, after all, it’s your job to protect me. Oh! Maybe you could bring your arrows and shoot all the mechs they’d have! Be all like,_ pew pew pew _…”_

_“I need to learn the family business. Not go gallivanting off to free chimpanzees from scientists. And, besides, those are gun noises.”_

_“Ooh, but I can tell you’re trying not to smile again! You want to help them too! Come on! Let’s go be heroes!”_

__–––

Genji took a few steps back as he closed his hand over the deep cut. It was just below his elbow. Gasping back another cry of pain, he bit his lip when he felt the smooth slide of bone on bone. The blade had cut through a bone. Every convulsive flex of his hands caused shooting pains throughout the entire arm. He knew from the spreading numbness in his fingers that his right hand would be a liability soon.

“Brother, please,” he pleaded, shuffling backwards again as he gauged his brother’s stance. “Why are you doing this?”

His brother’s grimace grew deeper and took on a furious edge. “I already told you,” he hissed. “The council has found you unworthy. Now, prepare yourself, Genji.”

Genji’s eyes grew wide in shock. “This, this is it, isn’t it,” he questioned, forcing the words past a throat choked by fear and sorrow.

His brother merely advanced once more. His face was a mask of rage. “Genji, put up your hands and protect yourself!”

–––  
__

_“Little bother, we can’t be heroes.”_

_“What?! Says who?”_

_“Tradition, and the honouring thereof. Our family lives in the shadows. As we always have.”_

_“Well then we’ll go to the moon when it’s new. That way we can be heroes in the shadows.”_

_“Assassins can never be heroes, brother.”_

–––

Genji did as he was told, if only to dodge the next swipe of the sword. Kicking out he hooked his foot around his brother’s ankle and pulled. But the move had been predicted, and his brother easily avoided the manoeuvre and struck him with the butt of the sword just below his ribs. Coughing and doubling over in pain, Genji jumped back and took a defensive stance as right arm hung limply by his side.

“I don’t understand,” Genji cried out as he sidestepped another slice. “Brother, you’re the family head now! Surely you can -” His words cut off in a cry of pain as his brother’s blade came down again, cutting deeply into his left thigh and leaving him limping.

“Damn it, Genji,” his brother roared, reading his stance once more. “You could have fought back!”

Genji tried to jump back but fell when the torn muscle in his leg spasmed at the movement. “Brother, please, you don’t have to do this,” he cried out as he began to pull himself across the stones, feeling faint.

The hem of his brother’s trousers was soaked in his blood as he followed him. “The council has spoken,” he said coldly as he raised his sword.

–––

_“So there you are. How are you holding up? ... Yeah, I thought so. You... you gave a good eulogy though.”_

_“It was fitting.”_

_“He would have liked it. Well... now you’re in charge. ... You know what we should do now? Go and party our woes away. Stiff drinks, hot dates, jamming tunes...”_

_“You already do that.”_

_“And you used to join me, from time to time. Come on, where’s the brother I know and love? Don’t tell me he died with our father.”_

–––

Genji cried out in agony as the sword sliced off his hand. “Brother, Hanzo, please! You don’t have to do this!” 

His brother didn’t answer as tears rolled over his nose and clouded his vision. He brought sword came down again. Genji screamed as his leg was lopped off.

Again. His shoulder.

Again. His hip.

Again.

–––

_His brother’s laughter as they played under the watchful gaze of their parents._

_His brother’s voice as he excitedly told him about yet another person who had caught his fancy._

_His brother’s sobs as he cried into his shoulder over his first broken heart._

_His brother’s screams of agony._

_His brother’s blood dripping in the silent courtyard._


End file.
